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Sue their pants off: House Democrats are poised to sue the Bush administration for failing to give them more specific answers on a Medicare scoring controversy that is the focus of a government investigation. The outcome of the likely lawsuit could clearly define the long-debated parameters of congressional oversight over the executive branch. Leading House Democrats have pressed for details surrounding the administration’s decision earlier this year not to inform Congress that its actuaries projected that the Medicare drug …

“GOP Moderate” Jack Quinn out in NY-27. From our press release: Quinn Departure Makes Dem Open Seat Advantage Even Stronger [Washington, DC] Democrats’ advantage in House open seats got even stronger today as another of NRCC Chairman Tom Reynolds’ New York Republican colleagues announced he is abandoning Tom DeLay and his Republican House. In a news conference this morning, Rep. Jack Quinn told reporters he is giving up his overwhelmingly Democratic seat (Al Gore carried the district with 57% …

In the first press I’ve seen on this, the LA Times breaks the Treasury Press Release - RNC Fact Sheet scandal, which turns out to be more widespread than we thought: Last-minute tax filers desperately e-rummaging through the IRS’ website might have run across, at the bottom of several official government press releases, this boldface alarm: “America has a choice: it can continue to grow the economy and create new jobs as the president’s policies are doing; or it …

Why Novak is a hack: The word spread through Republican circles on Capitol Hill is that a runaway Democratic prosecutor in Texas may indict House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, creating upheaval in the GOP leadership. If Mr. Novak were familiar with google, he might find articles like this from today’s Houston Chonicle: The Texas Republican Party went on a drive during the last major statewide elections to raise corporate cash like never before, collecting $2.2 million from companies such …

Sorry we have been so quiet yesterday and today.. we have been organizing @Stake Activists to recruit more committed dems at the March for Women’s Lives today! Here are some pix. More info soon. I am too sore to type….

AP: Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson is refusing to make public or give congressional Democrats the Bush administration’s estimates of the cost of last year’s Medicare legislation. In a letter to Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., a senior HHS official writing on Thompson’s behalf said Democrats have no right to review administration estimates that the Medicare overhaul would cost substantially more than what President Bush and Thompson disclosed last year. The Associated Press obtained a copy of the …

We noted about a month ago that the GAO had agreed to investigate Ahmed Chalabi at the requests of Sens. Kerry and Durbin. As Newsweek put it: The issue under scrutiny is not whether Chalabi prodded America into a war on false pretenses; it is whether he used U.S. taxpayer dollars and broke U.S. laws or regulations to do so. Did Chalabi and the INC violate the terms of their funding by using U.S. money to sell the public …

Cokie and Steven V. Roberts: Too often in today’s Washington, compromise is equated with betrayal. When political rivalry turns into a jihad, the system breaks down. Newt Gingrich learned this when he was Speaker of the House 10 years ago and tried to work with pragmatic Democrats. He was so undermined by hardliners in his own party that he denounced them as the “perfectionist caucus,” but in the end, purists of Toomey’s stripe helped drive Gingrich from office. Tom …

CQ Today: Joe L. Barton, chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, said Wednesday he is open to moving legislation that would grant the Defense Department leeway in complying with three major environmental laws, a reversal of the position held by his predecessor. But objections from a key senator could still keep the exemptions from becoming law. Former panel Chairman Billy Tauzin, R-La., blocked the Pentagon’s request for waivers the past two years. Barton, R-Texas, took the helm …

Outright inspiring: President Bush, trying to shore up his environmental record against criticism from Democratic rival John Kerry, on Thursday called for restoring or protecting as many as 3 million acres of wetlands over the next five years. “Instead of just limiting our losses, we will expand the wetlands of America,” Bush said Thursday after touring a salt marsh accompanied by his mother, Barbara, on an overcast day. But then the story takes a bit of a downturn: In …

Atrios say: ...as many of you have said it’s absolutely vital for the Democrats to get out in front of this issue. They need to propose some supplemental spending [for Iraq] before Bush pulls it out of his back pocket when it’s “almost too late.” Today in CQ Daily: John M. Spratt Jr. of South Carolina, a senior Democrat on the panel, said he has heard reports from Iraq that commanders could run out of money by summer’s end. …

There are just too many unqualified teachers these days: U.S. Treasury Secretary John Snow teaches financial education lesson to a fifth-grade class as part of the National Teach Children to Save Day sponsored by the American Bankers Association Education Foundation, New York, 9:30 a.m. Taking such lessons from an administration that has managed to put the IMF and the protesters on the same side might not be the best idea: But, the IMF warned: “A more disorderly adjustment - …

From Pelosi’s release: Pelosi and WWE wrestlers Chris Nowinski and Victoria opened the first ever “Youth Activism Town Hall” at the Summit. The Town Hall, moderated by MTV News correspondent Gideon Yago, provided the students and young leaders an opportunity to voice their concerns directly to Members of Congress and gave the Members a chance to hear directly from young leaders. The students and young leaders raised issues including higher education, the economy, Iraq, and national security. The Members …

Yup, it’s your good friends at the Coalition for the Future American Worker, who as we have discussed before, are some rabid, racist anti-immigration folks who have been running ads against Democratic candidates, most notably Martin Frost in TX-32. Well after being more or less run out of town down there, they’ve taken their rancor up to South Dakota (presumably to stop the influx migrant Canadians): A television ad claiming that Sen. Tom Daschle, D-S.D., has introduced a bill …

We still need activists to help us recruit the hundreds of thousands of folks at the March for Women’s Lives here in DC. These hundreds of thousands of people are committed folks, and we need YOU to get the word out to them with us. We are offering the usual incentives - snazzy limited edition Tshirts, food, you get to see the DNHQ, but most importantly, each one of YOU who help us out can turn into THOUSANDS of …